Intertwined
by aqua-reina
Summary: Being left in Ba Sing Se, Katara meets up with her old enemies, only to make things worse. Can things really go back to the way they were? horrible at summaries...bare with me. Zutara! Might be rater M later on in the story just in case.
1. Just Friends

**Chapter 1**

**Just Friends**

"Tell me where he is you filthy little worm!" Azula was now screaming at the top of her lungs. She couldn't get anything out of her prisoner, nothing, not even her name. Katara, the prisoner, could sense the family resemblance between Zuko and Azula. Katara kept quiet thinking she would just leave her unconscious in the middle of the forest soon. But she was very wrong.

Azula turned to face Katara, her face was slightly blushing as she realized she needed a different way to get the information out of her prisoner. Azula stomped over to Katara and slapped her across the face. She left finger nail marks on her face going from the top of her ear to the bottom of her chin.

Katara clenched her teeth together to resist the urge to scream. Her eyes began to water, she desperately tried not to let her tears show, but Azula had already seen.

_'She's finally about to break…'_ Azula was happy a little thinking she would get on with her pathetic search for this avatar child. _'Once I get the information out of her, I should leave her dead, she won't tell anyone.'_ Azula walked over to Katara.

"Just give me your name and we'll be gone." Her tone was in a scary polite way, Katara didn't like that. "Fine, you leave me no choice; I must have your name at least so, if you don't mind…" Azula ordered a soldier to get a metal rod. He didn't take long to retrieve the object. She had a wicked smile on her face.

Katara's heart started to beat faster and faster. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears, her eyes were wide and scared. She didn't know exactly what Azula was going to do, but she had a couple of ideas, none were close.

Azula took the metal rod from the soldier. He nodded his head, silently urging the other soldiers to follow him. They left quickly for fear that Azula might take her anger out on them and not the water tribe girl.

The metal started sparking, blue sparks went everywhere. The rod turned a bright red where Azula's hand was. Katara struggled out of the ropes that tied her to a large tree. Without hesitation, Azula quickly shoved the part of the rod that was bright red between Katara's collarbone and shoulder.

Katara clenched her teeth together as she smelled and heard her skin and muscles sizzle at the contact. She couldn't take any more and let out a scream. Tears had started to flow down her cheeks, she didn't care if Azula saw.

"…_Katara…,"_ she said very weakly, "…my name is KataraAA!!!" She cried out as the rod turned and went deeper.

"What was that!?!?" A young man said, he heard screams come out of no where and was fully alert.

"What happened, I only wanted to…make…tea…," before he could finish, Iroh was fast asleep. Zuko rolled his eyes at the old man and started to change into his day cloths.

He headed into the forest with his duo swords in their sheath, but he had his hands up ready to fight any second.

"aaaaaAAAAHHH!!!" He heard it again. This only made him surer he wasn't losing his head. He went deeper into the forest. He soon realized that the scream came from a girl. He thought he recognized the voice, but ignored the questions going into his head.

"YOU WILL TELL ME WHERE HE IS YOU UGLY PEASANT!!!" Azula was on the verge of explosion. After the idea of the metal rod, all she got out of her was her name and nothing else. The rest of the time she just cried out in pain. She probably told where he is, but covered it up with a couple of screams and tears.

_'This is sad. The pathetic creature doesn't even deserve to live on this planet.'_ Azula silently admired Katara's mental strength, but that thought went in as fast as it went out.

Zuko saw what was happening, but from a good distance away. _'What the hell is happening?'_ He quietly thought. _'I need a distraction so I can get the girl away from…,'_ he saw who was the hunter, he nearly yelled out in surprise from the shock!

_'What is she doing here? Isn't Azula supposed to be bowing down to her dad and running around like his little slave?'_ Zuko didn't have much pity for Azula, since she had none for him.

He saw his sister pull out a metal rod that looked like it had been bright orange, but now is a dark red. The wound wasn't bleeding so much since the heat had sealed up the cuts partially, but she was still bleeding.

"Princess Azula, we must get back to the Palace before the Earth King gets suspicious!" Ty Lee called out. Zuko, from far away, thought she was too happy all the time, and figured she was always on some weird sugar high.

"Yea, but we could just tell him we went…site seeing?" Mai had entered the scene. She was still as depressed as Zuko remembered her from his early childhood.

"Fine…go and get everything packed up, I'll be there in a minute." Azula's voice gave a sickening hint that she was going to get rid of the girl. Azula's friends both left quickly before they saw anything they wished they hadn't.

_'Now!'_ Without any warning Zuko snuck up behind the large tree and untied the ropes. With one arm ready to carry the girl, he sent out a flame from his fist, headed strait for Azula's face.

Katara realized that Azula wasn't focused on her anymore, but something behind them. Azula's eyes widened when she saw a large flame headed in her direction. But that would be the last that Katara would see, but not hear.

"Oh, look who it is! Zuzu, saving the world?!? I figured you crawled into a little hole and cower for the rest of your life. But I guess I was wrong…" She was soon interrupted by Zuko.

"Let her go, you don't want anything to do with her, she doesn't know anything. You must have **so** much pleasure picking on people that have nothing to do with what you're after." He stated. Zuko didn't move from where he was. His face was firm, if he averted his gaze to the badly hurt girl, she would use that weakness and take him down.

"Oh I do, Zuzu, _I do_. You should try it sometime." Azula's voice was again calm and patient. Katara was listening to the two siblings quietly fight. Before she tried to open her eyes to see who…'Zuzu' was, she felt the ropes loosen around her body. _'He's trying to get me to run when she's not looking.'_ Katara thought. She couldn't though. She could barely move her head up to see who was her rescuer.

"Princess Azula, we need to…Zuko!" Ty Lee had a great way of averting Azula's gaze. As soon as she turned around to face Zuko again, he was gone. She looked at where her prisoner was, she was gone too! At the last possible second, Azula's eye saw Zuko helping Katara get away.

She had an open shot.

Her sharp fingernails sliced through the air summoning the blue lighting to her body. As soon as she felt she had enough power to do some major damage, she let it flow out her fingers and to her target.


	2. Just Friends Pt 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Earlier*************

"_Oh, look who it is! Zuzu, saving the world?!? I figured you crawled into a little hole and cower for the rest of your life. But I guess I was wrong…" She was soon interrupted by Zuko._

_"Let her go, you don't want anything to do with her, she doesn't know anything. You must have __**so**__ much pleasure picking on people that have nothing to do with what you're after." He stated. Zuko didn't move from where he was. His face was firm, if he averted his gaze to the badly hurt girl, she would use that weakness and take him down. _

_"Oh I do, Zuzu, I do. You should try it sometime." Azula's voice was again calm and patient. Katara was listening to the two siblings quietly fight. Before she tried to open her eyes to see who…'Zuzu' was, she felt the ropes loosen around her body. 'He's trying to get me to run when she's not looking.' Katara thought. She couldn't though. She could barely move her head up to see who was her rescuer._

_"Princess Azula, we need to…Zuko!" Ty Lee had a great way of averting Azula's gaze. As soon as she turned around to face Zuko again, he was gone. She looked at where her prisoner was, she was gone too! At the last possible second, Azula's eye saw Zuko helping Katara get away. _

_She had an open shot._

_Her sharp fingernails sliced through the air summoning the blue lighting to her body. As soon as she felt she had enough power to do some major damage, she let it flow out her fingers and to her target._

******************************

Her shoulder hurt as she ran through the forest. Zuko was right behind her consistently looking over his shoulder to see if Azula or her "minions" were following them. They weren't, but he could swear that he saw blue light coming from the direction they were fleeing from.

_'Oh no…'_ he thought Zuko acted quickly. He roughly shoved Katara away from her original spot while running and took hers. He turned around fully to see Katara lying on the ground with an angry look on her face, which quickly turned into a face of confusion.

When Katara saw Zuko's face, she was totally confused. His face had a look with a mixture of fear, anger and confusion. She didn't understand what was going on. What was he…

Before she could think of anything else, he looked at her with a look of, sorry on his face? His face turned to the direction behind them. His eyes went wide. She could see a strange luminescent blue, light up his face for a fraction of a second. The next thing she knew, he was on the ground. His eyes were shut tight, his teeth showed from him wincing in pain, but he lay still not moving _at all._

"Oh…my…Gods." Katara wasn't sure if she was more stunned that the person that rescued her was Zuko or that someone was shot by lightning. Her mind went blank. She stared at the body lying on the ground, not moving at all. She slowly inched over to him.

She noticed that Zuko was not breathing. He just lay there…still…not even breathing. Half of her wondered if he was dead and worried, the other half was excited that they no longer had a scary stalker following them around.

Her hand reached out to touch him. The tips of her fingers touched his clothing, quickly bringing her hand back and waited for him to wake up. He didn't.

"Zuko?" She whispered his named, still waiting for him to wake up. Convinced he was totally unconscious, she lightly tapped his shoulder. Blood stained the clothing that made contact with his shoulder, and on the ends of her fingers.

She couldn't believe that she would ever want to heal someone like him, but he saved her life. Didn't that count? Her hand made its way to her side, expecting to hit the nozzle of her water bag soon, she felt nothing. She remembered that they knocked her unconscious; they must have swiped her bag then. She silently cursed in her mind.

He started to slowly breathe, they were slow and short. '_He must be in serious pain,'_ Katara thought. Making sure that he was breathing normally, Katara lifted Zuko's upper body as gently as possible so he was sitting up right against the tree. This was not an easy task for her.

******************************

"_Zuko…Prince Zuko are…you awake yet?_" Iroh had just woken up to a new day. The two had just finished a week of camping in the forest, in the Middle Ring. The owner of the tea shop gave them a week of vacation and Iroh suggested that they go camping.

"Prince Zuko are you even aw−" Iroh lifted his head from his pillow and looked around. No one was there. The ostrich-horse was still there, where the fire had previously been was now a pile of ashes and darkened twigs, but most of all Zuko's sleeping bag was empty. His backpack was emptied and the contents were spilled everywhere.

"Must have left in a hurry, I should make tea incase he returns thirsty." He lifted himself from underneath the blankets. The outside air was cold, but he would have the fire going in no time. As he assembled the religious routine of the tea, he felt as if he was missing something.

"Ah, the most important of all!" he exclaimed, and headed into the forest in search of leaves, hopefully jasmine leaves.

As Iroh walked down a path, he heard leaves rustling a far distance off to his left. Stopping to get a better look at what was there, he saw a hint of blue clothes. He strained his eyes to see better, the blue clothing turned out to be a person pacing back and forth. He made his way back to where the stranger was, _'Maybe he would like to join me for a cup of tea?'_ he thought as he stepped of the path and into the undiscovered forest.

******************************

Katara wasn't used to these kind of injuries. She had seen her brother injure himself a lot during her lifetime, but she never saw anything like this. She did as much as she could think of. She propped him up against a tree, bandaged his wounds so he wasn't bleeding as much, plus for him being unconscious was the most horrifying of all. His breathing was so soft and light, she sometimes thought he was dead until she noticed his chest would rise and fall very slowly.

She didn't notice it, but she started pacing back and forth to hopefully take away some of the stress on her mind. A pain shot up though her right foot every time she took a step, but she didn't care. Slowly coming to a stop she started at her…hero? This person had been chasing Aang, Sokka and her for almost a year, how could she not think he just wanted her as bait to capture his "honor." She didn't know what to do. Katara didn't even notice Iroh making his way towards her.

Katara heard a twig snap, jumping out of her trance she stared at the stranger. Her face had a mixture of confusion and fear. She knew she had seen him before, somewhere. Catching her by surprise, Iroh bowed to her. Not expecting this she walked over and stood between Iroh and Zuko.

Iroh looked at Katara, then to his unconscious nephew sitting by the tree. He bowed hoping she would not think of him as someone who would harm another.

"My Lady, do not be afraid of me, I was just looking for some tea leaves when I came upon you and noticed my nephew. My name is…Mushi." He had to stop himself from saying Iroh. "Is he alright?" he noticed the 'red and blue' bandages that Katara had tried to make out of her clothing.

Katara's look of nervousness went away. Knowing that Mushi seemed be a nice man, she stopped being so 'on edge.' It took awhile for her to respond to Mushi. She finally broke the silence between the two. If you wanted to count Zuko, two and a half.

"My…my name is," she breathed deep, going in and out, "my name is Katara. Your nephew found me, he," she paused again. She thought about what she was going to say. _'He saved me? Zuko, Prince Zuko saved me from his sister?'_

It had been sometime since she last spoke. 'Mushi' interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss Katara, would you be so kind and to assist me in helping me carry my nephew to our camp. It is not far from here, and I believe he needs different wrappings than clothing." He laughed at his last statement. It was true, he clothing was not as good as the gauze he had. She nodded her head and took a step placing her right foot first.

When Katara placed her weight on her right foot to switch to her left, pain was the only thing she could feel about. Her body twisted to an angle, so that her right foot was bent and hanging in the air, she finally noticed the pain in her lower leg.

She breathed in deeply as the pain shot her leg. To Iroh this looked very, very unpleasant and he remembered when he had a the same thing.

"Looks like you have a sprained ankle, it would be best to not walk on it for sometime." Katara could sense the humility in his voice. If she didn't she would have been twice as angry. Not being rude, she put on a fake smile while gently rubbing her ankle.

"I guess I should help you bring…," she wanted Mushi to say his name so she wouldn't blow his "identity" incase he was trying to keep one.

"His name is Li and it would be nice to have company at our camp." Mushi said while moving toward his nephew. When Mushi came closer to Katara, he noticed her wound on her shoulder, it looked nasty, but in the beginning he figured it was his nephew's blood and not hers. With a wound like that she seemed not to be showing that much pain.

Mushi picked Li up and put one of his arms around his shoulder, Katara was on the other side of Li. The trio went slow, they made it to the camp by early noon.

"Now Miss Katara you just sit, you're already injured and you have no reason to be walking around." Mushi stated while walking to their First Aid kit.

Sitting down next to Li, she looked at him. His face looked like he was in major pain. She didn't get a longer look since Mushi's hand went to Li's shoulder and put him lying on a mat.

First Mushi removed the first layer of Li's clothing. The cloths smelled burnt, Katara wrinkled her nose at the smell. Next Mushi unwrapped the second part of his clothing exposing his chest. It didn't look too pleasant. Li had first degree burns covering two thirds of his chest. Towards the area around his heart must have been second degree burns. The clothing was sticking to the dried blood.

"Would you please pass the light green tube in the First Aid Kit." Mushi took the tube from Katara. Opening the tube, he put a peapod size of what looked like lotion or cream on his finger and placed it on his chest.

"Are you hungry Miss Katara?" Mushi asked. It was almost past noon and he doubted the girl had anything to eat for a while.

At first she didn't say anything, she felt like she lost her appetite from looking at the burns. Finally she nodded as a yes.

"Well, I am too. You wouldn't mind putting on the medicine while I make lunch?" Katara must have said or done something, because Mushi passed her the tube and got up to leave. He made sure she knew what to do before he started cooking.

The tube was coarse and hard. The medicine was really cold felt gooey. Placing a medium size drop on her index finger, Katara moved her finger in a circular motion slowly going out. She didn't want to hurt him even more. 'Even though sometimes he deserves it,' she thought. Still moving her finger as gently as ever, she put more medicine on the wounds.

As she put on the medicine the way Mushi taught her, she wondered if she would ever see her friends again. But since she was with 'Li' who wasn't too popular with their group, maybe she could runaway. Shaking her head at the possibilities of going home she continued placing the gooey medicine on his wounds.


	3. Good Tea

**Intertwined**

Good Tea

by: aqua~reina

Disclaimer: I own nothing...absolutely nothing.

**Chapter 3 **

**Good Tea**

O O O

"hnn…don't…don't go…" He whispered into the night. Its been almost twenty four hours since Zuko was knocked out.

_"He's been talking in his sleep about nothing really, but it's starting to sound like his past or something really tragic," _Katara thought, _"I'm not that light of a sleeper but Iroh is, unfortunately. Ever since mom di− I just wouldn't…couldn't sleep like that anymore."_

As he slept he tried to turn over, but the ripped, stained clothing straps that Iroh and Katara used to prevent him from doing so, so he slowly turned back to the position he was in before. On his back. He returned to the some-what peaceful dreams of his sleep that he was in earlier.

_"I noticed Zuko twitch slightly as he tried to move into a better position, the ground might not be so comfy. Jagged rocks, pointy twigs or branches, dirt, scratchy and very itchy leaves, and biting insects, a couple of words come to mind…painful and/or ouch!"_ Katara winced from watching as Zuko did the same, only in pain.

"Mom…left, don't…liar…" His eyebrows furrowed together, frustration wrinkles formed on his forehead. His chest rose and fell rapidly and rather roughly. A dark liquid started to slowly creep down the dry edges of his mouth. As he coughed, the liquid only came out faster. Before Katara knew it she was over by his side, trying to ease the coughing fits. Her hands went for the enclosed water jug. Within half a second her tanned hands floated over his chest. A light blue liquid now encased her tiny shivering hands.

Katara hovered over Zuko, her hands quickly setting themselves in place. Countless minutes passed as Katara healed the wounds on Zuko's chest. Why she didn't do so earlier she has no idea why.

As Katara soon found out the anatomy of the chest is very compact and to heal someone's upper body is a very intensive process. After about half an hour of mending the muscles back into place and combining all the tissue, she felt exhausted.

She made one last check on him, she put another blanket on Zuko and headed back towards the other side of the campfire. She was just about to go into her sleeping bag when Iroh made his way over to her.

"Miss Katara would you mind joining me for some tea? I would be delighted if you would."

She pondered for a while before answering. "Yes, that sounds nice." Katara suddenly remembered what she was just doing and was slightly worried if he would start questioning her in a condescending manor. But she still went over and sat next to the retired general.

"Do not worry Ms. Katara, I will not terrorize you and question you on what you just did," Iroh said while staring into the fire and stoking it at the same time. "I believe whatever you do, you do with a level head and with good intentions. But, may I ask, what did you do to my nephew?" He said now finally turning around to face Katara.

"I didn't kill him if that's what you're asking?" Katara stated with more anger than she intended in her tone. "I…uh…," she subconsciously started playing with her braid. Tying it and untying it, combing the hair with her fingers. "I just-uh healed him," finishing her sentence as she stared into the fire. Her eyes slowly meeting his.

To his surprise, she bowed rather deeply and kept her head low.

"I did not mean to disgrace you by my actions. Please forgive me." Katara whispered

"My dear Miss Katara I am not ashamed of what you did, but rather grateful. Where would the world be if we didn't help each other out every once in a while?"

All of Katara's thoughts about the ruthless General Iroh, all disappeared. No thought of an angry voice yelling at her and definitely no thoughts of him burning her to a crisp.

"Miss Katara please stop bowing there is no need to do that in the mere presence of a simple friend."

Katara slowly raised her head facing him. The first thing she saw was a smiling old man holding out his hand as a sign of trust. She took his hand and shook it. That old familiar smile made its way to both of their faces.

"Well now, Jasmine tea sounds very nice right now, would you care for some?" He said handing her an aged looking cup, it was beautiful with the art work of blue and red vines slowly turning purple at the rim. There were a couple cracks near the rim, but that didn't bother his new traveling companion at all.

She examined the cup before drinking. The hot liquid burnt her tongue. She didn't care, it still tasted delicious. She never really did like the taste of tea until she tried this. _"Must be some Fire Nation delicacy. Pretty soon I'll be living there, drinking tea…"_ Katara thought and couldn't help keep down the small smile that tried to show on her face. _"Yeah. Right."_

"May I ask what you are smiling about?"

"Nothing just random thoughts. This tea is excellent by the way. What did you put in it?"

Iroh noticed the slight change in topic but let it slide. _"This is how Zuko probably feels when I do the same thing."_ He thought as he smiled back, "just water and herbs."

Their conversation soared from history to stories of traveling to the elements then to future politics. They both tried to deny it, but at the rate that the world was going, downhill, reviving the older world would be impossible.

"Do you really think that, that's what's going to happen? It makes me depressed on thinking about what life is going to be like when we turn fifty, or even hoping we reach that age despite the war."

"Well I have made it past that point," he chuckled, "but the war won't last forever. No one could fight for that long, in time one must regain balance to keep thoughts clear. Besides, the two sides of the battle field might join together to fight against their rulers to prevent the rest of the war. Miss Katara do you really think that all people from the Fire Nation are…war-hungry?"

Katara started to really think where this topic was going. "No, but−"

"Remember, there are always two sides in every battle, you must learn to understand how your opponent thinks, only then will you truly be capable to defeat the enemy." He said, his voice strong in every word he said, "but keep in mind not every battle must have a winner and a loser." He put away the forgotten tea set and headed to his sleeping bag.

"I hope you stay with us long enough to come visit our tea shop." He said, "I would be most delighted if you came to visit." He waited until Katara was in her make-shift bed. When she was, he closed his strong fist into a tight grip, letting the once red hot embers die under the pale moonlight.

O O O

He heard them. Their whole conversation. The whole time listening to the elderly man and the young water bender talking. He made no move to even let them know he woke up.

He first awoke when he tried to move about some time ago. But he soon started coughing and blacked out, then awoke to them laughing.

Unlike before he felt so much better. The ache in his chest had gone down immensely. Zuko figured his uncle put on some of the disgusting ointment from the first aid kit. He was starting to give the ointment more credit, but that thought didn't last very long.

Silently he crept out of the bag and managed to untie the wrappings, which to him took forever. He successfully got away from the sleeping camp and headed to the river nearby.

As he headed to the river, he didn't even bother to see if any one was there, since it would be around one in the morning. He walked to the edge where the water met the land. The cold water barely reaching the ends of his toes. He stared straight ahead as he opened his obi. Zuko lazily placed the shirt on a near by rock, then started to work on his pants. He was about to let his pants drop when he heard splashing not to far away. _"Too close,"_ he thought. Zuko would rather be Azula's prisoner for life than be seen with his pants around his ankles.

He was curious, and started to walk around the river bend. The shine off of the water made it hard for him to see who was in the river. All he could see was a hazy shadow of someone that seemed to be bathing and frankly, that's all he wanted to know. He decided to end his adventures there and return to his spot back on the other side of the bend.

His bath was nothing special. No exotic animal tried to eat him. No sister tried to kill him. And definitely no father tried to restore anything. Just the normal water and soap.

As soon as he was dried and dressed he headed back to camp.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Chapter 3. R&R please


	4. The Encounter

**CHAPTER 4 **

**The Encounter**

O O O

She loved the water. She loved it most when the water, the moonlight and her were just alone. No war to bother her mind. Couldn't resist moments when the full moon was in perfect harmony with her serene and quiet surrounding. It seemed to call out her name. She felt the water run through her fingers as the current carried it. Lying unclothed under the moon, with only the water to cover her. Bending the water over herself in a rhythmic pattern. She was supposed to bathe, but she did more waterbending than bathing, so she figured that she would go back in the morning.

As she finished she noticed a figure walking in the forest, curiosity got the best of her so she waterbended the water out of her hair and followed after.

Walking through the sandbar seemed to take forever since it was mostly up hill. Katara had only walked a few feet into the dark green forest when she saw a certain someone she didn't really want to meet, well just not at the moment.

"Zuko?" She whispered, unknowingly out loud and loud enough for the person to hear her. She was right, she wished she wasn't. He stopped abruptly when he saw her. He stopped just a couple yards away.

Her first instinct was to run, and that is exactly what she did. He was right behind her, chasing her out onto the sandbar. She reached out to the water to summon it for help, but she was too far away. He knew Katara was a waterbender and did not need to get into a fight with a waterbender at night, especially during a full moon.

She was almost to the part of the sandbar that went down-hill then flat to the water. Her right hand reached out again, only to be grabbed by another. Zuko yanked her hand back, making her turn fully to him, only the problem was that they were still going forward and the ground was no longer level, it was going downhill.

Katara was the first to fall over. She didn't go alone down along though. Since Zuko was grabbing her hand, she was now grabbing his. He tried to keep his balance, but that didn't last too long. As he fell too, the pair started to roll down the hill.

His left hand automatically went to the back of her head. His right arm secured itself around her middle back, while her hands had a death grip on the cloth around his neck, tightening the cloth a little too tight for Zuko's liking.

Unfortunately, the slope wasn't only soft sand. There was a forest nearby so there was an occasionally pointy twig and jagged rocks. They poked and pinched the backs and legs of the pair.

As the force of gravity stopped them from rolling any further, the force of fighting still did. The two tumbled and stopped four feet away from the waters edge. Katara let go of his obi and shot a hand out to the water. He was too quick for her and pulled her hand back in. She watched the water whip she created go back into the river. She glared down at him, since she was on top. He then rolled the two away from the water and stopped when they were seven feet away from any sign of water.

He stopped rolling away, just enough until he was in the safe zone. He watched Katara struggle beneath him. She tried to use her arms to do an ounce of bending, but he was still faster and pinned her arms down, and above her head. Her legs were already pinned. She even tried to bend with the tips of her fingers, but his hands slide over hers to prevent her to do anything else with her hands.

Katara would never admit it, but she lost. It would take her a billion years to say it, but she lost.

He hovered above her, his face barely and inch away from hers, their noses almost touching. He glared at her for even thinking that she could get away. She glared back with the same amount of anger as he.

Both silently panted, and stayed silent for a long time with only looks filled with malice to cover what needed to be said.

"What are you doing out here alone? Especially without your boyfriend. You know…little girl, its not safe to be out in the dark forest alone." He said, putting the words _little girl_ in just to anger her. He couldn't resist saying the last words to her. "There could be pirates."

_"Little girl?!?!?"_ she thought, "well, look at you all grown up. You're finally able to catch something now. Daddy must be so proud."

He couldn't respond to her last jest as the word _Daddy_ floated heatedly across his mind. He narrowed his eyes and snarled. She still hadn't responded to his question.

"Answer the question!! What are you doing out here?!?" Zuko replied in a harsh whisper, although he wouldn't of had minded if he could yell. Unknowingly, his hands started to warm and become hot as they laid on Katara's hands.

"If your looking for the avatar, your on the wrong side of the world." She said heatedly. _"aaahhhh….his hands are burning…"_ she thought, yet she felt something else too not pain, but some other emotion, she just didn't know what…

"I'm not interested in your games or your avatar. What were you doing talking to my uncle? You wouldn't even think about hurting him, would you…" he said threateningly.

"No I wouldn't…Li." She said. Katara looked up towards her hands then back at him. All she could think about was the heat that felt as if it was burning her skin. Her eyes began to water, she bit her lip so the tear would not show, but she kept looking straight into his eyes. The pain was starting to become unbearable in her hands.

He could sense the pain in her eyes as he looked into them. He didn't realize that he was firebending, he immediately stopped and loosened his grip on her hands. But didn't release them fully.

Her mouth opened slightly as the pain suddenly subsided. She held her gaze with him, not looking at him in anger but confusion. She wanted to ask why he stopped, he was Fire Nation, he was supposed to be evil, but he spoke before her thoughts finished.

"Are you going to expose us?" His voice was so quiet it almost sounded like a whisper. She could feel the words melt as they came from his mouth onto hers. His breath was like his hands, burning yet it contained that foreign feeling as it lingered on her lips.

She shook her head to answer his question. She remembered his uncle saying that his name was Muchu? Mishu? Mushi…yes, then saying that his nephew's name was Li, she knew immediately who Zuko was, but if they had to change their names, it must be something major. "You both changed your names for a reason, is Ba Sing Se the only city that doesn't have Fire Nation crawling all over?"

He nodded. It surprised him as much as it surprised her. His hands started to loosen from their hold. One by one his fingers left hers. He slowly brought his hands back to his body to support himself, carefully not placing any weight on her. And as quickly as he pinned her down, he was off her. Never letting his gaze leave hers.

His leaving made the empty space in front of her seem awkward. She raised herself onto her elbows, still keeping his gaze.

"Why did you do that?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know." Katara could tell that he was telling the truth because he had this lost look on his face, the one similar to Sokka's constant face and Aang's confused face. Seeing that she was still lying down he took a step forward and held out his hand for her to take.

She didn't know what to do when he did this. She was so used to the Fire Nation Prince blowing everything up and always in an angry mood that she couldn't help but be surprised when he offered her his hand.

Katara couldn't move, she felt paralyzed and more or less was by his actions. She felt like jumping up and screaming: "What happened to you? Where did Zuko go?.........Have you been drinking Cactus juice?" Questions like these ran through her mind too fast for her to register. She was about to say something, but like always, Zuko was a little quicker.

"Are you going to take my hand? Or do you not want any help from the Fire Nation?" His eyebrows raised slightly, as he waited for an answer.

She hadn't noticed it yet, but her hand had worked on its own, raising itself up to meet his. Her tan fingers slide smoothly over his pale ones. As they tightened their grip, each of their hands fit perfectly into one another's.

He brought her up rather fast, faster than she thought. Her foot became caught under a hidden branch in the sand. She lost her balance and used Zuko to keep her up. Both hands landed back onto his chest while his went and wrapped around her middle. As if they were meant to be there. As Katara fell her head snapped up, it was an instinct, she couldn't help it. His head looked straight towards her face as he felt her start to fall, it was instinct, he couldn't help it.

For Katara, reality didn't come back as fast as she wanted it to. She just stayed there in his arms. The tips of her lips touching his, the feeling of his hot breath on her lips was both denied…and welcomed. The two pairs of eyes wide open.

She slowly slide from his strong yet gentle grasp. She looked away and then back at him.

"I'm sorry…" she could feel her voice slightly shake, and prayed he hadn't noticed. Eye's going from place to place, as long as it didn't meet his, she would be fine. Her hand went up to her lips unconsciously, pausing just before it touched her lips.

_"Her voice is a little shaky,"_ he thought, "I didn't mean−" he looked down in shame when she looked at him, "I did not mean to…," he couldn't finish.

"Its….ok….it…was an…….accident…" her words were spaced out, as if she was in deep thought. Her eyes lingered in the space in front of her, as if it was foreign to her, not knowing if it would disappear or stay.

"Aren't you going to wipe it off?" He asked, his voice seemed hesitant.

Her fingers finally touched the tips of her lips. She turned toward him, still not looking at him, and started to run/walk right past him. He decided to give her space, then followed her to the camp.

She didn't want to admit it, but she almost got lost going to camp. She walked with her hand barely touching her mouth the whole time. She would have made a left instead of a right, but Zuko pointed out the right way, which only got her more embarrassed, which only made her walk faster…now in the correct direction.

Katara didn't want to talk to him, she didn't want to do anything with him since she was so close, too close to kissing her enemy. Her cheeks began to have the feeling that they were burning. She knew this feeling, she figured that her cheeks were a bright crimson by now.

Every now and then there would be a glance, a look, a passing of two pairs of wandering eyes. Katara looked at Zuko for what she thought would be her last, when he looked at her. Zuko had this look as if he was waiting for a question. Before she could translate, he looked forward then back at her, as if he was pointing with his eyes. Of course she wasn't looking ahead when he tried to point in front of her. When she looked forward she jumped slightly out of surprise. She didn't think they would have gotten to camp that fast.

_"Great, Katara try not to embarrass the __**whole**__ water tribe in one night…"_ she thought.

The small fire was alive, breathing in all the air it could take. The bright orange tips licking the bottom of the teapot. Her eyes were fixed on the teapot, as an aged hand graced the handle her gaze slowly went up the arm to the smiling face. Iroh was making tea, but why in the middle of the night?

"Good morning to you both. Have a nice night?" his voice was gentle. His eyebrow raised as he looked toward Zuko, as if expecting an answer.

Katara paused, "Wait, morning?"

"Yes, the sun is about to rise soon. Do you really think that I would make tea in the middle of the night?" A small chuckled came from his mouth. "I may love tea, but I am not that crazy…not yet." He laughed again.

Katara smiled and headed to her side of the camp, to her make-shift bed. To get some sleep, some most wanted sleep. Soon it over took her as her head touched the ground.


	5. A New Friend

**CHAPTER 5**

**A New Friend**

O O O

Iroh had brought the two ostrich-horses to the camp. Having bought one when they could afford with the money they received from the teashop. The other, was something Zuko never wanted to talk about.

"Are you serious?" Zuko asked, his voice was in a yelling whisper.

"Well I already mounted my ostrich-horse, and you know how hard it is on my old bones to get on and off all over again."

"But uncle she's sleeping, if I wake her up she might…I don't know, do her water-whipping-bendy-thing or something crazy! You know how women are!" He still didn't dare let his voice go above a whisper.

"Then it's simple, don't wake her up." Iroh replied. Zuko gave him an angry look, knowing very well what his uncle was trying to do.

"…Uncle…" he whispered in anger, a growl shortly followed. "I know what your−"

"Zuko, stop being so stubborn and get her onto the ostrich-horse so we can leave, the sooner you get her on, the sooner you can get her off." His voice seemed too nice, Zuko knew what he was trying to do, and he really didn't want for his uncle's plan to work. "You don't have to wake her, just go over and pick her up then set her on the saddle." Zuko shot him a look before he headed over to the sleeping waterbender. He turned around to try one last time to get out of it. But as he turned, there was no one there. Zuko growled, he should have known that his uncle would ditch him sooner or later. But he knew his uncle was watching somewhere in the distance to make sure that his nephew didn't leave the sleeping person. She was on her side, knees bent, arms under her head for support.

He let out one last growl before he continued to Katara. He was very hesitant to step within a 3 foot radius. He let one knee hit the ground silently, followed by the other. His hand cautiously went under her left shoulder, as the other went to her right shoulder in an attempt to roll her into his arms. She rolled toward him, his right hand went quickly under her knees. Picking her up bridal style, he found out she wasn't as heavy as he thought. He headed toward his ostrich-horse, set her on the saddle, mounted behind her, then took off.

He greeted his uncle about ten minutes later. Zuko refused to talk to him since his uncle's face was turning red with laughter.

Katara sat in front of him, leaning on to his chest as they rode towards the Earth Kingdom Lower Ring Gate. Her head rested on the crook of his neck, hands lazily on her thighs. One of his hands held her around her middle as the other held the reins. She kept slipping so he had no choice but to hold onto her. He had no problem if she fell off, but his uncle would have killed him.

He figured since she stayed up all night, that she would be asleep for a while so he wouldn't have to be annoyed about explaining anything to her, not that he had to. She was so close to him, he could tell that her hair smelled like the ocean and strangely some sweet kind of plant. But this didn't bother his mind for too long. He just wanted to keep her asleep.

Unfortunately for Zuko, Katara had awaken. But she didn't wake up, scream and then run away. She stayed in his hold, ready to kill him if he tried anything funny. She woke with her head facing his neck. He smelled like pine, probably from being in the forest, and also soot. _"Probably from being a firebender,"_ she thought. Katara didn't turn to other side, but kept her head in the same spot, enjoying his scent. She moved her head slightly to get comfortable again. He stiffened as she moved, then slowly eased at her touch. _"He's comfortable,"_ she thought, and vowed that none of these thoughts would ever get to her.

Getting through the gates was easy, but getting through the front door to their apartment was a little harder. Iroh was downstairs putting the animals in the stalls, while Zuko carried Katara up the stairs and into the apartment. Zuko slowly walked through the front door to avoid a collision with the wall or door frame and a very angry/sleepy waterbender.

Once through the door, Iroh was now walking into the apartment.

"Where should I put her?" Zuko asked.

"Well, why don't you put her in your room for now, because I'm going to be taking a nap soon. We'll make another bed later."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the comment and the suggestion to putting Katara in his room. But the idea was actually really good since when his uncle is asleep he snores so loud that it seems any one would think it's an earthquake. Plus he was thinking about heading off to the tavern.

He sighed heavily, and headed to his bedroom door. With surprising grace he opened his door with his foot and walked inside. He gently set Katara down. His right hand let her legs slide down on the bed and used both hands to lower the rest of her. One hand on her back, the other on the back of her head. Slowly he lowered her to the bed. He paused to see if she woke up, seeing that she was still out, he got up and left. Zuko looked again as he closed the door to his room, not taking his eyes off her until the door was shut completely.

He started to grab the handle to the front door when his uncle stopped him.

"Where do you think your going?" His voice set off an alarm in Zuko's head.

He turned and faced his uncle, "just to the tavern, I'll be back in a few hours."

"Fine, this is Sho's first job right?" Zuko nodded, "Then tell him I said hello and congratulations." He lost this one. He didn't like the idea that Zuko went to the bar or tavern or whatever it was called. But he had not come home drunk, not the least bit, so it didn't worry him too much.

"Bye Uncle," Zuko whispered.

"Good Bye Junior," Iroh said loudly. Zuko gave him a look then went out the door to the tavern down the road.

It was about an hour later when Katara had woken up. It was dark out now. She found herself in a simple room on a simple bed. A small dresser with a small mirror on top, and a large window opened to the outside. She got off the bed, pulling up the sheet and adjusting the pillow, then headed over toward the window. She found herself in and Earth Kingdom city getting ready for night as the sunset glazed red in the sky.

_"How long was I out?"_ she asked herself. A hand went to her forehead, it ached a little. She looked at the dresser to her left. Her hand left her head and started to trace the edges of the dark wood. _"He has good taste," _ she thought as her fingers traced the curves of the design. She made her way to the door. Katara opened it slightly to see outside, she only saw Iroh outside, cooking tea. _"Of course,"_ she smiled at this and opened the door all the way, to be greeted with a wide smile from the cook.

"Tea?" He offered.

"Please," she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched at the counter, then headed over to the table with her cup. "How did you know to make tea?"

"I heard you moving around in the bedroom, so I figured to waken up fully would require some good tea," He smiled.

She smiled as well as she drank the delicious brew. Katara looked around the apartment only to notice one thing. "Where is Zuko?"

"He went out to have a drink at this tavern place down the road. He'll be back in an hour or so." She nodded. A thought of Zuko walking drunk through the door singing the national anthem to the Fire Nation, would be something to see. She smiled inwardly as she drank her tea.

Seeing Katara look at the front door gave him an idea. "Its ok for you to go there if you wish."

"No its ok I−" she set her cup down.

"No please, its ok, go, he might be expecting you?" He started to push her out the door.

"Iroh its ok, I don't even have any money! There I can't go now."

Like magic Iroh pulled a couple of copper and silver coins from his sleeve and placed them in her hand. "Miss Katara go, you might miss him. Go, go, go!"

"Iro−," with one last shove she was outside facing the door. She let out a small growl before heading toward this tavern. She didn't even know where it was or what it was called. As if Iroh read her thoughts, a note slide under the door. To her dismay, the note contained directions and the name of the tavern.

It read, "The Broken Glass Tavern. Turn right at the front door, left at the stairs, straight for two blocks and arrive at the tavern." There was some more writing at the bottom. "Hurry!"

She scowled at the door, "thanks a lot," she said to the closed door.

A voice from inside yelled, "your welcome!" She growled once more before walking away.

_"Yes,_" he thought, his plan would work perfectly.

She stood in front of two identical black doors. The words _The Broken Glass Tavern _ read on the sign hanging tilted on the door. "Well this is it, I can't believe I'm doing this." She said to herself as her hand reached for the front door.

"Let me get that for you Miss." Came an awkwardly too sweet voice behind her. He opened the door swiftly and tipped his invisible hat to her. She gave him a wearisome smile and quickly walked through. It was dark inside with only candles to light this place. There was a small stage in the far end of the tavern with an old man playing jazz on a foreign looking instrument, booths lined against the walls with some small tables in the middle. On the left was a bar with a long counter that curved at the end, heightened chairs lined perfectly next to it. Her eyes followed the bar-counter until she saw a person at the end. She took a deep breath.

Zuko sat with a half full, half empty cup filled with a dark looking liquid. He was laughing with the bartender about something, his side was to her, so he didn't look at her like the bartender did.

"Ooohh, don't look now Li, but there's a hottie in blue at the front door." The bartender whispered to Zuko, or Li.

He paused for a second, he face slightly paled while looking at his friend. "Blue?"

"Yup, blue, long brown hair−" He didn't finish as Zuko finished for him.

"Is it in a braid with some loopie things in her face? Tan skin, blue eyes?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

His hand went to his face and mumbled, "great, Uncle just had to send her down here."

"How is the old man, by the way?" Zuko shot him a look.

"Fine, he told me to say hello to you and congrats on the job."

"She's coming over this way," he paused, "do you know her or something?" Zuko made a weird face saying "kinda-sorta". He took another sip of his drink before facing Katara.

She saw Zuko talking to the bartender. She headed toward the bar, taking the seat furthest from Zuko. The bartender raised his eyebrows at Zuko while he shot a glare at the Bartender. He walked over toward Katara and started the usual bar talk.

"What can I get for ya?" He asked casually as he cleaned a mug with a bleach white rag. He wore a dark shirt over khaki colored pants. His bronze, and newly shined named tag labeled 'Sho Bartender.'

She tried hard to not look at Zuko. But she could feel that he did the same exact thing as she did. She hesitated as she looked at the mug then at the wall behind him. "Could I just get some water?"

"Sure" He took out a glass from under the counter and poured clear water from a white pitcher. She thanked him as he gave her the glass. But he couldn't help but ask. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded, "Do you know that guy at the end of the counter?" She looked towards Zuko who let his head fall down in disappointment. She smiled and let her finger run along the edge of the glass.

"…Yea…why?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing just wondering." He smiled at her and returned to his cleaning. He noticed the uneasy feeling between the two. "Oh, are you guys like Ex's or something?" He asked with a small smile going onto his face.

"No," Zuko growled from the other end of the bar with his head still hanging.

"Then what? You don't act like this near your friends, yet you can describe her, as if you've seen each other frequently. So what are you guys?

Katara hesitated to answer. She couldn't say they were enemies or he would get suspicious. She just stayed silent and let Zuko answer for her. Seeing that Sho couldn't get an answer from this blue young woman he turned to Zuko.

"Li?"

"Do you have to know?" He asked.

"Well, it makes my job seem much more exciting. Am I going to get an answer or will I have to question this pretty young lady next to me?" The bartender gave her a funny look telling her to play along. She nodded smiling and giggled sweetly to his comment.

He stood straight and looked at her with a look of bewilderment on his face. "Well I must say," he said, "please excuse my manners for getting away from me! My name is Sho. And what might your name be my pretty?" His voice went up and down, making him sound really stupid, but it made her laugh even more.

_"This is so stupid,"_ she thought and looked over at Zuko or Li in his deepest pit of despair, then decided it was totally worth it in the end.

"My _name_ is Katara," she said twirling a piece of hair around her index finger. She leaned forward towards Sho with a love-stricken look across her face. He leaned forward also and stopped a couple inches from her face. He started to whisper soft words in a jumble just to piss of Zuko and she giggled every now and then to make it seem interesting.

Zuko growled at the end of the bar. He gave up. "OK!!! STOP!!! Your going to make me sick! Gods, are you even allowed to do that as a bartender?!?"

Sho let out a short deep laugh, "hmph, _no_," he smiled. "Wanna join us?" he asked Katara.

"Sure.." She slowly got up out of her seat and took the seat next to Zuko.

"Do want something other than water? Your the first person that I had that wanted water first instead of sake." Her eyebrows furrowed.

"How long have you worked here?" She asked.

"This is my first day." He let out a laugh from looking at Katara's face. Zuko couldn't help to smile a little either.

Katara looked at him, then to his soon to be empty cup. She looked towards Sho and made her request, "I'll have whatever Z−"

"Li" Zuko said interrupting her before she said his real name. He gave her a look telling her to be careful, she shot the same look right back at him.

"I'll have whatever _Li's_ having." She said. Sho gave Zuko a look as if asking if it was okay. Zuko's shoulders rose and fell in a 'I don't know' signal. Sho gave her the drink anyways. As he handed her the drink, he gave a silent look towards Zuko saying, 'I gotta watch this,' Zuko nodded. Both men watched her as she brought the cup to her lips. She turned her head towards Zuko as she tipped the cup to pour the liquid down to her lips. They both seemed to be holding back a smile as the liquid slowly went into her mouth. She took a generous amount from the cup and swallowed it quickly.

It took her a second, _"Oh no,"_ she thought. The liquid made her throat feel as if it was on fire. She coughed uncontrollably and started to fan her mouth. Her coughs became deep and her face was in pure disgust and surprise. Sho gave her a glass of water, she took it and drank the whole cup.

"Eeeeeehhhhhhh, Whath ith thath!???!?" She said while trying to wipe her as-if burning tongue with a napkin. "Ith dithcusthin…" She let out another disgusted sound before resuming what she was doing. "WHAT IS THAT!??! ITS SOO GROOSSS!! HOW COULD YOU DRINK THAT STUFF!?!?!? EEEWWW NASTY!!!" She gave the dark liquid an evil look before questioning the men before her. Their faces were turning red from trying to hold down the laughter. When she looked at Sho, he couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed loudly, as did Zuko.

"You asked for it, sorry I would have told you but you wanted it. I'm not supposed to refuse the customer." His eyes watering from laughter. She looked toward Zuko, he was drinking the last of the evil liquid before he answered her.

"Even if it's for their own good?" Sho laughed harder as Katara scowled.

"You never had pure rum before, huh?" A smile graced his scarred face.

"How can you drink that stuff?" Her brows furrowed as she looked at the empty cup.

"You have to get used to it, then it doesn't burn as much. But the first one is the worst, then it gets better as you drink more."

She looked back toward her glass. Her hand crept its way towards the cup. She had to try once more. "If your lying, I'm going to kill you." She said gravely.

"Nothing new to me. Oh, and you might want to take smaller sips and not chug it." He said mater-of-factly. She looked into Zuko's eyes as she sipped again. She couldn't believe it. He was right. It still burned, but definitely not as bad as her first sip.

"Why doesn't it burn?" She asked as she looked down into the cup.

"Well for starters," Sho said placing an elbow on the counter, "You didn't chug it like Li said, and it doesn't burn your throat as much the next time around, but it will still burn after a while."

She could feel more heat rise to her cheeks for every second that passed by. She tilted her head down to avoid them seeing that she was.

"Don't worry you aren't the first person that's acted like that on their first time." He leaned on the counter more as if what he was telling them was secret, "One time, there was this one kid who downed the whole cup, first timer too. I swear, he kept saying he was going to die. It was the funniest thing I have _ever_ seen!" He smiled at the memory. "As a matter of fact, he was dressed like you, in blue and had a…" he paused as he tried to find a word for his description. His hand circled the top of his head.

Katara closed her eyes praying it wouldn't be her brother. "A Warrior's wolf-tail."

"Yea that's it. How'd ya know?"

Her head lowered in disappointment. A hand went to cover her face then to rub her forehead.

"Brother?"

"Yup"

"Figures"

"What's that supposed to mean?!?"

"Oh, nothing, you look a lot alike."

"Gods, please don't let him embarrass the entire tribe." Her voice in a begging tone as both hands went to her head in shame.

"Too late," both Zuko and Sho replied at the same time.

By now Katara had finished her cup. Zuko looked at the empty cup then at Katara. "I think its time to go home. Unless you want to stay for more?"

The question came to Katara more in a competitive tone than in his what he thought normal tone and of course this got the better of her. "Of course I can." Zuko looked surprised then seemed to ask Sho with his eyes if she should have another. "Don't go doingthat talk with yoour eyes like I don't know what−what's goin' on. Sho one more, I can take it." She smiled with all her white teeth in view, slightly swaying

Zuko leaned over the tall dark counter and whispered to Sho, "make sure you water that down…_**a lot**_, I have to take her home tonight remember."

"Sure, I was going to do that anyways. What if I give her water, ya think she'll notice?" He whispered back. Both smiled at the funny thought.

"Men and their gossip, jeezz and I thought women were bad." Katara said, leaning heavily on the counter, letting her head fall and rest on her right shoulder.

Sho mouthed the words, "she only had one?!?" Then turned to Katara and answered her question. "I think its time to go home." He looked towards Zuko for help as Katara started to put on a pouting face.

"Yea its getting late anyways, come on lets get you home." Zuko went over and started to help her out of her chair.

"I can do it, I don't need help or anything!" Katara yanked herself from his grip and got out of the chair. The problem with being a little drunk, you might not be in top condition. Like the last time, she lost her balance, only to be caught, yet again by Zuko. She looked up at him in a daze.

"Why is it every time I fall, your always there to catch me?" Her voice sounded hazy. "It's so unlike you…" she whispered, eyes downcast.

"A black heart is not always clouded in darkness," She looked up at him again as he pulled her up slowly.

"Then why does it seem that way?" Blues eyes grew closer to gold. In the background, Sho smiled and walked off to help another customer at the other end of the bar. Slowly Zuko raised Katara helping her stand. She eyed Sho with the corner of her eye, seeing him smiling made her uncomfortable. Slowly but surely she pushed away from him. She paid for the drinks then went out through the black wooden doors, leaving Zuko standing, starting at the void in front of him.

"Ya know, when a girl does that, your supposed to go after her." Sho came up behind him. Zuko didn't flinch. "Li…go, she'll be wai−"

"I know what your trying to say, and I know her too. She probably wouldn't want me around." He looked up and placed a hand on the counter. Gold eyes wandered to the aged, wooden black door.

"She's waiting…," Sho's voice had a lingering tone. Sho tried one last time to send him a message through the look he gave to Zuko then headed back to bartend to the other men at the other end of the bar.

Zuko kept staring straight. After about a minute of thinking, he paid then left. He uttered under his breath, "I know." His voice was low, but even his friend could hear from across the room.

The walk home seemed longer than it took normally. His shoes sloshed in the rain puddles on the side of the road. The brown mixing with the forest green now seemed normal compared to the blood red he knew. He found himself at the foot of the steps of the stairway to his apartment. His footsteps were soundless along with his treads down to the door. Blue came into view as he slowly came closer and drew his gaze to meet the door handle.

Her eyes were fixed on her feet. Her hands played with the white trimmings on the end of her dress. Katara's head lazily turned toward him.

"Hey, I tried but the door was locked when I got here." Her voice was groggy from lack of sleep…and probably from a little drinking.

"Its not, its broken you just have to give it a shove," he moved towards the door, grabbing the handle, giving it a few hard shakes then the two watched as the door swung open. "There, it won't go down without a fight." It was too late, he chose the wrong words, the awkward silence became so thick someone could slice through it.

"And I thought I would have to spend the night with the rooster-pigs." She moved to get up. As she got up, she leaned heavily on the wall.

"Can you even stand?" He said as she swayed to and fro.

"I can stand perfectly fine." Her words seemed to swirl as they came from her mouth. She leaned against the wall a couple feet from the door.

"In your condition you won't be able to make it to the front door." He took her hands off the wall and helped her lean onto him. Her feet dragged against the floor. She stumbled a little only to be picked up bridal style. Her eyes immediately went to his, wanting an answer to why he was being so nice. Turning towards the door, he stepped slowly forward. His eyes never left hers.

"Why did you change? You would never even look at me before?" A soft, quiet voice came from her lips.

"It might have been for the better." He seemed to sway as he passed through the small door frame.

"…I think it is…" the sound of her voice soft. Her lips inched closer and closer to his, until hers stopped barely touching his own. His hot breath pierced her lips with each breath. She was hesitant. She didn't know if Zuko wanted to kiss her in the first place. She stopped right before she touched his. He knew this, then made the final move. His warm lips embraced her full pink lips. He soon deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck. He pushed her closer to him and walked towards his bedroom.

He slid the door open with his foot, and closed it after him, never letting his lips leave hers. Gently setting her down on the bed as his thoughts got the better of him.

_"What are you doing!??! She isn't fire nation?? You'll regret this! Get out before its too late!!"_ Strangely the voice in his head sounded a lot like his sister. But he needed to listen for the both of them. He broke the kiss. She lay on his bed as he loomed over her. Hastily he got off, but still sat on the edge of the bed. _"Now what!??"_ he asked himself. He started to get up when he felt the faintest of touches on his back. He turned, still sitting on the bed. His gold eyes met her cerulean, slightly ashamed he had done that to her in her state.

"Don't," she paused, "don't go, stay." He couldn't believe what she was asking. He couldn't do this to her, it would be like taking advantage of her, and he didn't have enough…courage?...strength?...heart?...to do it. He was at a loss of words, wondering why he wouldn't.

"I can't, good night." The faint touch was on his back again. Again he turned, looked at her. Her eye's pleading for him not to go. How could he resist? Her eye's had some sort of sparkle in them that made them glow, even in the darkest of lights. Her skin almost seemed unhuman as it gleamed in the moonlight. The deep curves in her neckline and her collarbone showed. There was no flaw on her skin under the moonlight. She was absolutely beautiful.

Her hand rested on his elbow. He faced his bedroom door fully, ready to walk right out. But that touch… His brain was telling him something totally different than what his heart was, he smiled inwardly, his black heart. Her hand still rested firmly on his arm, yet so gently.

She closed her eyes as he moved, hoping he would stay with her that night. Hoping he wouldn't go. She heard shoes hit the floor. Katara sat up, her arms went back to his neck as her lips went back to his. He slowly lowered her back to the bed. Her fingers trailed down his back and rested on the knot that held his obi in place. The string slide easily out of its hold, he voluntarily took the rest of his shirt off by himself.


	6. Leaving

**CHPATER 6**

**Leaving**

O O O

Katara awoke, she didn't open her eyes yet. She ached all over, especially her head. She felt her way around before waking up. Her head rested on his chest, hands draped around his middle as his left arm lay around her and rested on her back. She lifted her head slightly to look at him. He was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, no look of anger. No war. No lies of hurt. No betrayal. Just him and her. And she liked it, but she knew better. It could never be, even if they tried, it wouldn't be a happily ever after.

She silently crept out of his arms, and away from the bed. His face was serene and he lay still. There was no hint that he had awaken. She gathered her cloths and dressed while she took in the scene around her.

The moonlight falling in through the window into the bedroom. The tiniest amount of light hitting the edge of the bed. She wanted to stay, but she had her reasons why. Without another thought to hold her behind, she left the peaceful scene, closing the door quietly behind her.

O O O

He felt her leave. He knew she had gone. Packed her things and left. He didn't want her to leave, but he just stayed there, laying there with his eyes closed, not moving at all. He waited for the door to close before he even dared to move again.

After the soft click of the front door, he sat up in bed. His face rested in his hands. He knew she wouldn't come back. But there would always be that wanting feeling, willing her to come back. Before he let himself think about her even more, Zuko got ready for work.

"_Hair combed, dressed in the ugly green…yet again, breakfast," _he felt something missing. _"Uncle,"_ he thought as he snapped his fingers. He walked into the kitchen seeing his uncle already there, with a hot pot of Juk on the stove ready. He noticed the white liquid boil inside the pot. He also noticed that it was just him and his uncle.

He left the apartment without breakfast. On his way to work, Zuko didn't see any hint of blue standing out in the crowd. Unlocking the door he walked inside and opened the 'Jasmine Dragon.' He uncle came in about five minutes after.

Iroh saw that the shop was ready for business. The floor was swept. The tables were set. The tea was cooking. For Iroh with was very unusual behavior from Zuko. Especially when he saw Zuko in the kitchen, which could lead to a health hazard to anyone around him.

"Good Morning Nephew!!" He said rather loudly, scaring and making his nephew jump. Zuko grabbed the counter to brace himself. He turned around giving his uncle a pissed off look which turned into a fake smile.

"Morning…Uncle…" The smile vanished. "Looks like you're having a great day." He went back to scrubbing the dishes.

"It seems like today will be a great day." Iroh stated, waiting for some smart-ass remark from Zuko but received none. ''_Very unusual behavior indeed._''

"_I need to get out of here…_" Zuko thought. "Uncle I'm going to get some supplies from the market. Be back in a couple minutes."

"Oh! And don't forget to get some more napkins!" Iroh yelled out the window, just incase his nephew was willing to listen. He sighed as turned towards the kitchen, now wishing he had annoyed Zuko after the dishes were cleaned. A young lady ran up to him, a paper and pencil in hand. Her head was tilted down reading the paper, making it hard to see her face.

"Excuse me sir, I was wondering if the 'Jasmine Dragon' was hiring" she looked up. Her voice slowed down. "Oh…My…Gods… Is it really you?"

**CHAPTER 7**

**Recognizing the Past**

O O O

Her dark eyes sparkled. Tears welled up in her eyes. "It can't be…" A hand covered her mouth as she stared in aw.

He stared at his long lost friend. His smile mirroring hers. Iroh opened his arms to greet her. "Miss Alleah, it is so good to see−" He would have finished his sentence if Alleah didn't jump into his arms in a giant hug. Their arms wrapped around each other in a warm embrace. It seemed to take a while for her to get a hang on things and let go. "Let us go inside. I'm sure we both have great stories to tell over a nice cup of tea." He opened the door for her to pass inside.

OOO

As Zuko rounded the corner, and drew nearer to the Teashop, he heard a woman laughing from inside. He rolled his eyes while both voices laughed even louder. He knew what to do. Go around without looking. It'd be better and not be mentally scarred for life…again.

The bells on the front door rang as it opened. The new comer turned around to see who it was. She smirked at his attempt to keep his eyes away from her. She knew very well Zuko didn't want to see his uncle in his love-life-moment.

"You haven't changed a bit." Alleah said. Her smirk grew as he turned to face her. Disbelief all over his face. "I figured three and a half years would make someone want to say hi, I guess not." She smiled toothily as he smiled as well.

"Maybe it isn't long enough. It's good to see you Al." She jumped up to hug him. Zuko picked her up slightly as she ran into him, _almost_ making him loose his balance. Alleah's toes barely touching the ground.

Iroh sat still in his chair. He willed his brain to imprint the memory of the two forgotten friends embracing each other after a long period of time. He wished there was some device that could take a certain scene and let the person keep it to cherish. The scene before him would be worth keeping.

After about what seemed like not enough time, the two let go of each other. There was an awkward silence as the couple headed to the table where Iroh was sitting.

"Well, you look a lot thinner than the last time I saw you…" Zuko said as he took his seat, trying to cut the silence. Her short brown hair hung lose around her head, framing her thin, pale face. Her eyes were a sharp dark gold. She must have been eighteen, almost nineteen, but she was still short, barely to his shoulder.

"Yea…I figured you wouldn't of had noticed…" He gave her a dumb-founded look.

_'Wouldn't of had noticed??!? You were wobbling around with a swollen-belly last time I saw you…'_ he thought as he smirked at her comment, _'wouldn't of had noticed…'_ he thought again. "So, where is the little guy. He's got to be about, what, three years now?"

"Yes, he's at home right now. I need to check up on him in a couple of minutes. You can come with me to see him, if that's ok with your uncle." Both looked towards Iroh.

"Actually, I wanted to see him as well…it's a boy right?" He whispered the last part, Alleah nodded and smiled. "We could close the shop a couple hours early I guess. We don't get a lot of customers on weeknights anyways." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"So let's go then." Alleah said as she headed towards the door with the two firebenders in tow.

Turns out, Alleah had been living on the other side of the apartment complex. Never in a thousand years would they have known they lived so close to each other. As they rounded the last staircase, Alleah took out her keys and unlocked the door. She motioned for the two to be quiet as they entered. Inside was a humble looking apartment. A worn Earth Kingdom rug lay on the ground. A few painted gourds served as decorations. On the far right was a short hallway that lead to two doors. On the other side there was a small kitchen, a tan colored couch, and a table with a couple pieces of paper and pencils spread out.

"Here it is, Home sweet home." Alleah whispered. There was a sound of a door moving and small footsteps getting closer to the group. Behind Zuko was the voice of a sleepy boy.

"Mama…" he said as he rubbed his eye with one hand while the other was raised, wanting his mother to pick him up.

"Hey sweetie," she picked him up and set him on her hip. "I want you to meet someone. Do you remember this man right here, from Mama's big picture book?" The young boy turned to look at Zuko, then to Iroh.

'_How could this kid remember us? We left before he was born…Mama's big picture book?'_ Zuko then put the pieces together. _'Painting album.'_

"This is Uncle…," she paused forgetting Iroh's new name.

"Mushi and Li." Iroh said.

Alleah turned so the little boy was facing the older man. "This is Uncle Mushi," then she turned to Zuko, "And this is Uncle Li." The boy was more interested in Zuko as he raised his arms out to Zuko to hold him.

"Umpah Ei," the boy said to Zuko.

"And who might this little guy be?" Zuko said as he took the child in his arms.

"Sorry, his name is Roki." She looked towards him then away.

"Who chose the name?" Iroh said. Everyone's face now held a serious look.

"His father…" Alleah stated softly.

"Where is he?" Zuko didn't really want to know, but he felt like he needed to.

"He was taken by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago. They came here and asked a few questions about him, then left with most of his belongings. I haven't seen him since, and I don't want to. It scares me to think that he might come home when Roki is alone and I'm not here. That's why I put a lock on the door." Her voiced started to waver at the thought of her husband coming home.

Iroh put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, remember we are always right down the hall if you need anything. Even if its for a small glass of tea in the middle of the night." He added, trying to enlighten the mood. She smiled at his attempt to comfort her.

O O O

After Iroh left, Zuko stayed with his friend. Both tried to catch up, trying to see what they missed out on each other's life.

"So what made you want to come to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked, unsure if he would like the answer.

"After I was put into that arranged marriage. I married the Commander, who was stationed as a spy in Ba Sing Se. I've been here ever since a couple of months ago." She paused as the memory haunted her mind. "He was always a drinker. That was for sure. But up until a couple of months ago, he would come home so drunk he became violent. After awhile I left…." A tear was rolling down her cheek. She couldn't finish as her words were caught in her throat.

"You don't have to say anything else…that was so stupid of me to ask…I'm sorry…I should have been more careful−"

"Zuko stop!" Alleah said, starting to get annoying with Zuko's attempts to apologize. She smiled, "It's okay, besides it was a long time ago." She gave him a reassuring smile, trying to make her friend calm down. She felt something tug at her shirt. Without looking, she raised Roki onto her lap, letting him snuggle into her arms.

"So, Mr. Hide-and-Seek, what's it like to travel the world?" she tried to add to get away from the depressing mood.

"It's fine. But I really didn't enjoy myself when I was bent over the capture of the Avatar." He snorted at the memory. "But I have learned something," he leaned in as if what he was about to tell was an absolute secret, "I'd advise you that you don't go swimming in the North Pole."

Alleah laughed, knowing Zuko there had to be some story behind that.

As the night went on, the two stayed up listening and telling stories of their past. But when it got to the memories became closer to present day, Alleah, knowing Zuko for almost his entire life, knew that he was keeping something from her. Now she would probably have to pry it out of him. _"This is going to be fun…"_ she thought.

"So, Iroh told me about your new Lady-Friend. Want to tell me about her?" By the sound of her voice, Zuko knew it wasn't a question, but a demand.

"Well…..she's nice…"

"What does she look like?"

"Um…she-uh, wears a lot of blue…?"

"Come on Zuko, your not leaving until I get what I want, so spill!" Zuko reminded himself to hide the tea at home, or burn it, whatever comes to mind first.

"She's a girl, that wears a lot of blue and has these hair loopie things…WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT!?!"

"Well, I guess that's a little better. So have you guys gone on a date yet?"

"Uh−"

"Have you kissed her yet??" She cut him off before he could answer. She could see Zuko start to blush with embarrassment. "Oh my goodness that is sooooo cute!!!" She squealed in excitement. "You have to introduce me to her. If she can get you to talk to her, then I have to meet her!!!" She tried to remain calm, so she wouldn't wake her child, she was failing so far.

"There's a problem though. I don't think I'm going to see her soon−"

"You didn't sleep with her, did you? Oh my Gods, Zuko!!! How could yo−"

"Why does every one think that if your not talking to someone it has to be because of that!? Couldn't it just be because she's mad at you or something? Why do women always think that?"

"Because that's usually the main reason," she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Zuko…didn't Iroh teach you to _**not**_ leave a relationship like that?"

"How do you know if I did? There is no proof." She gave him a look, daring him to say something else.

"Zuko, I have been a mom for almost four years now. Don't think you can lie to me **and** get away with it." He huffed at her last comment. He opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off with a hand in his face. "Don't even start." She laughed at the surprised look on his face.

"Fine."

"Okay Zuko," she let this one slide for the sake of Zuko's bruised ego and pride. She paused for a second before asking one last question, "What's her name?"

"Its…Katara." Roki turned in his sleep, reminding Alleah what time it was.

"Zuko I think it's time for me and Roki to go to bed. See you tomorrow?" She looked at him, as they both rose. Zuko nodded as he said his goodbyes and left.


	7. Recognizing the Past

**CHAPTER 7**

**Recognizing the Past**

O O O

Her dark eyes sparkled. Tears welled up in her eyes. "It can't be…" A hand covered her mouth as she stared in aw.

He stared at his long lost friend. His smile mirroring hers. Iroh opened his arms to greet her. "Miss Alleah, it is so good to see−" He would have finished his sentence if Alleah didn't jump into his arms in a giant hug. Their arms wrapped around each other in a warm embrace. It seemed to take a while for her to get a hang on things and let go. "Let us go inside. I'm sure we both have great stories to tell over a nice cup of tea." He opened the door for her to pass inside.

OOO

As Zuko rounded the corner, and drew nearer to the Teashop, he heard a woman laughing from inside. He rolled his eyes while both voices laughed even louder. He knew what to do. Go around without looking. It'd be better and not be mentally scarred for life…again.

The bells on the front door rang as it opened. The new comer turned around to see who it was. She smirked at his attempt to keep his eyes away from her. She knew very well Zuko didn't want to see his uncle in his love-life-moment.

"You haven't changed a bit." Alleah said. Her smirk grew as he turned to face her. Disbelief all over his face. "I figured three and a half years would make someone want to say hi, I guess not." She smiled toothily as he smiled as well.

"Maybe it isn't long enough. It's good to see you Al." She jumped up to hug him. Zuko picked her up slightly as she ran into him, _almost_ making him loose his balance. Alleah's toes barely touching the ground.

Iroh sat still in his chair. He willed his brain to imprint the memory of the two forgotten friends embracing each other after a long period of time. He wished there was some device that could take a certain scene and let the person keep it to cherish. The scene before him would be worth keeping.

After about what seemed like not enough time, the two let go of each other. There was an awkward silence as the couple headed to the table where Iroh was sitting.

"Well, you look a lot thinner than the last time I saw you…" Zuko said as he took his seat, trying to cut the silence. Her short brown hair hung lose around her head, framing her thin, pale face. Her eyes were a sharp dark gold. She must have been eighteen, almost nineteen, but she was still short, barely to his shoulder.

"Yea…I figured you wouldn't of had noticed…" He gave her a dumb-founded look.

_'Wouldn't of had noticed??!? You were wobbling around with a swollen-belly last time I saw you…'_ he thought as he smirked at her comment, _'wouldn't of had noticed…'_ he thought again. "So, where is the little guy. He's got to be about, what, three years now?"

"Yes, he's at home right now. I need to check up on him in a couple of minutes. You can come with me to see him, if that's ok with your uncle." Both looked towards Iroh.

"Actually, I wanted to see him as well…it's a boy right?" He whispered the last part, Alleah nodded and smiled. "We could close the shop a couple hours early I guess. We don't get a lot of customers on weeknights anyways." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"So let's go then." Alleah said as she headed towards the door with the two firebenders in tow.

Turns out, Alleah had been living on the other side of the apartment complex. Never in a thousand years would they have known they lived so close to each other. As they rounded the last staircase, Alleah took out her keys and unlocked the door. She motioned for the two to be quiet as they entered. Inside was a humble looking apartment. A worn Earth Kingdom rug lay on the ground. A few painted gourds served as decorations. On the far right was a short hallway that lead to two doors. On the other side there was a small kitchen, a tan colored couch, and a table with a couple pieces of paper and pencils spread out.

"Here it is, Home sweet home." Alleah whispered. There was a sound of a door moving and small footsteps getting closer to the group. Behind Zuko was the voice of a sleepy boy.

"Mama…" he said as he rubbed his eye with one hand while the other was raised, wanting his mother to pick him up.

"Hey sweetie," she picked him up and set him on her hip. "I want you to meet someone. Do you remember this man right here, from Mama's big picture book?" The young boy turned to look at Zuko, then to Iroh.

'_How could this kid remember us? We left before he was born…Mama's big picture book?'_ Zuko then put the pieces together. _'Painting album.'_

"This is Uncle…," she paused forgetting Iroh's new name.

"Mushi and Li." Iroh said.

Alleah turned so the little boy was facing the older man. "This is Uncle Mushi," then she turned to Zuko, "And this is Uncle Li." The boy was more interested in Zuko as he raised his arms out to Zuko to hold him.

"Umpah Ei," the boy said to Zuko.

"And who might this little guy be?" Zuko said as he took the child in his arms.

"Sorry, his name is Roki." She looked towards him then away.

"Who chose the name?" Iroh said. Everyone's face now held a serious look.

"His father…" Alleah stated softly.

"Where is he?" Zuko didn't really want to know, but he felt like he needed to.

"He was taken by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago. They came here and asked a few questions about him, then left with most of his belongings. I haven't seen him since, and I don't want to. It scares me to think that he might come home when Roki is alone and I'm not here. That's why I put a lock on the door." Her voiced started to waver at the thought of her husband coming home.

Iroh put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, remember we are always right down the hall if you need anything. Even if its for a small glass of tea in the middle of the night." He added, trying to enlighten the mood. She smiled at his attempt to comfort her.

O O O

After Iroh left, Zuko stayed with his friend. Both tried to catch up, trying to see what they missed out on each other's life.

"So what made you want to come to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked, unsure if he would like the answer.

"After I was put into that arranged marriage. I married the Commander, who was stationed as a spy in Ba Sing Se. I've been here ever since a couple of months ago." She paused as the memory haunted her mind. "He was always a drinker. That was for sure. But up until a couple of months ago, he would come home so drunk he became violent. After awhile I left…." A tear was rolling down her cheek. She couldn't finish as her words were caught in her throat.

"You don't have to say anything else…that was so stupid of me to ask…I'm sorry…I should have been more careful−"

"Zuko stop!" Alleah said, starting to get annoying with Zuko's attempts to apologize. She smiled, "It's okay, besides it was a long time ago." She gave him a reassuring smile, trying to make her friend calm down. She felt something tug at her shirt. Without looking, she raised Roki onto her lap, letting him snuggle into her arms.

"So, Mr. Hide-and-Seek, what's it like to travel the world?" she tried to add to get away from the depressing mood.

"It's fine. But I really didn't enjoy myself when I was bent over the capture of the Avatar." He snorted at the memory. "But I have learned something," he leaned in as if what he was about to tell was an absolute secret, "I'd advise you that you don't go swimming in the North Pole."

Alleah laughed, knowing Zuko there had to be some story behind that.

As the night went on, the two stayed up listening and telling stories of their past. But when it got to the memories became closer to present day, Alleah, knowing Zuko for almost his entire life, knew that he was keeping something from her. Now she would probably have to pry it out of him. _"This is going to be fun…"_ she thought.

"So, Iroh told me about your new Lady-Friend. Want to tell me about her?" By the sound of her voice, Zuko knew it wasn't a question, but a demand.

"Well…..she's nice…"

"What does she look like?"

"Um…she-uh, wears a lot of blue…?"

"Come on Zuko, your not leaving until I get what I want, so spill!" Zuko reminded himself to hide the tea at home, or burn it, whatever comes to mind first.

"She's a girl, that wears a lot of blue and has these hair loopie things…WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT!?!"

"Well, I guess that's a little better. So have you guys gone on a date yet?"

"Uh−"

"Have you kissed her yet??" She cut him off before he could answer. She could see Zuko start to blush with embarrassment. "Oh my goodness that is sooooo cute!!!" She squealed in excitement. "You have to introduce me to her. If she can get you to talk to her, then I have to meet her!!!" She tried to remain calm, so she wouldn't wake her child, she was failing so far.

"There's a problem though. I don't think I'm going to see her soon−"

"You didn't sleep with her, did you? Oh my Gods, Zuko!!! How could yo−"

"Why does every one think that if your not talking to someone it has to be because of that!? Couldn't it just be because she's mad at you or something? Why do women always think that?"

"Because that's usually the main reason," she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Zuko…didn't Iroh teach you to _**not**_ leave a relationship like that?"

"How do you know if I did? There is no proof." She gave him a look, daring him to say something else.

"Zuko, I have been a mom for almost four years now. Don't think you can lie to me **and** get away with it." He huffed at her last comment. He opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off with a hand in his face. "Don't even start." She laughed at the surprised look on his face.

"Fine."

"Okay Zuko," she let this one slide for the sake of Zuko's bruised ego and pride. She paused for a second before asking one last question, "What's her name?"

"Its…Katara." Roki turned in his sleep, reminding Alleah what time it was.

"Zuko I think it's time for me and Roki to go to bed. See you tomorrow?" She looked at him, as they both rose. Zuko nodded as he said his goodbyes and left.


End file.
